SP BP or PN????

08-23-2013, 03:48 PM

Thanks for looking at this tread!!! I've read a hug number of posts on the SP, BP and PN and cannot decide between them all! They all sound excellent, but can you help steer me? I'm 5'9", 155lb, 37 years and been surfing 3 years. Probably classed as low-intermediate? I surf a 7'8" Minimal and a 7'2" Dahlberg Tri at the moment and looking for a small wave board. I tend to head to Cornwall, Pembrokeshire or Portugal for 2 weeks surf at a time, then nowt for a couple of months! Typically surf anything from absolute muuush where even the mini mal struggles, to head high. I'm liking mellow turns, nothing radical so was thinking a fish for quite a while, but cannot seem to get a Quadfish in the UK at the moment.

Which of the potato family is the easiest to get on with? It sounds like the SP and BP take a bit of getting used to coming from longer boards.

Used the volume calculator to come up with 5'8" SP, 5'9" BP, or 6' PN. Any thoughts on all this? Sorry, lot a lot of questions there!

Yeah I think the PN would be the best choice. Size wise, a 5'6 would float you plenty, but it's down to how much volume you feel comfortable with. Next time you're in Cornwall it could be worth popping into Down The Line to demo a board or two.

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Mate totally go the PN it's a great wee board. 506 should be sweet. I am just 5 lbs lighter and ride 504 there is tones on float in these boards and they paddle super easy. It sometimes feels like you are cheating. There is a second hand 506 PN for sale in my mates shop in Aberdeen. It's my old board mine cond... Give them a shout they do uk delivery. It's http://www.granitereef.co.uk/ ask for Gordon say you spoke to Paul Morgan... It's going cheep like 350 I think, that's if it's not been sold.

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If you still consider yourself low-intermediate I wouldn't go too small like the other guys are suggesting, I mean it would be a huge learning curve and you'd probably advance really quickly but also struggle a lot in the process trying to catch waves and learning to pump for speed. These boards are all super buoyant and you can ride them ridiculously small, but that doesn't mean you should if your not ready for it. I myself just got a 5'3 baked potato and love it, but am 25 and have been surfing my whole life.

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Thanks for the info all! Really appreciated! Having read even more reviews I'm pretty set on the Potatonator (with still a slight interest in the BP). Kylel, what would you say regards length? 5'8"(33.9l) then, or 5'10"(36.8l)....or even more?

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Ah FokaiHI, thanks! Interesting point. I was steering away from the BP primarily cause I'd thought it would be more difficult for me to get on with, coming off a much longer board. I'm still tending towards a PN 5'10" (36.8l) based on my lack of skill. Anyone please shout if you think this is way too much volume.

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lol. thats my boy Frankie.... dont knock him to hard guys. he hooks me up all the time. i shud say everyone at STABL. im getting my new 5'7 BP from them anytime now. every time i go in, he tells me whats new and asks if i wanna demo. if i had no boards at all, i'd check w him to get demos from FW, Pinder, LOST. tho, im not sure how that made it to UTUBE.

I Can't say for sure having never ridden a Potatonator myself but, even around 6'0 it should still feel like a shortboard and be easy to turn(especially with how light these boards are), so maybe like somewhere between 5'8 and 6'0. A lot of people make a big deal about having really short boards especially where i live now in Florida, but I used to have a 5'10 WRV that was the best board I ever had. It was pretty wide I could ride it from knee high Florida junk up to well overhead Hatteras Barrels.

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Hi! I'm 5'9", 155lb, 36 years and been surfing sporadically for 22 years. Mi current board is a 6'2", 19 1/2", 2 3/8" but with the years is getting harder to catch the waves with it. I want to progress with my surfing but with that board I'm going nowhere.
What you recommend for surfing small waves: the potatonator or the baked potato? And what size of board for my condition?